Would you consider lending your support to help save the adoption tax credit, which is set to expire December 31, 2012?

The adoption tax credit should be extended in order to help as many children as possible realize the love and permanency they both need and deserve. On behalf of the countless children waiting to be adopted and the many thousands of families that stand to benefit from the adoption tax credit, please consider supporting this effort.

The National Council for Adoption has a Grassroots Advocacy Kit on the Adoption Tax Credit that you can download here. This will give you ideas of how to contact your Senators and Representatives about this issue.

If you are in Washington D.C. on June 12, you can be a part of the Save the Adoption Tax Credit Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. You can download the flyer about the event here.

Families adopting from Colombia have the opportunity to adopt children with special characteristics. Children with special characteristics include:  1) older children, at least age 8 years old or older, 2) sibling groups, and 3) children of all ages that have one or more medical or special needs.

The Colombian adoption process takes an estimated time of 18 to 24 months. This is from the time your application is approved through the time of travel. Please remember that this is an estimated time.

Colombia requires that those seeking to adopt be between the ages of 25 and up and requires that married applicants are married for a minimum of three years. Single women may also adopt from Colombia.

When a family travels, the expected stay, in-country, is approximately 4-7 weeks. Both parents must be willing and able to stay the entire time if necessary, but one parent may return to the states during the process after the first few weeks if approved. The length of in-country stay will depend on the originating city of the child.

Colombia is an excellent program to consider as it is a “Hague-certified” program; there is high quality orphanage care; they provide detailed medical and developmental information on available children; children who wait receive counseling and advocacy services; there is a well established government child welfare agency  that oversees the “transition” process; and children are able to reside with the adoptive parents throughout the family’s stay in-country.

The country of Colombia has many children in need of loving, permanent homes.

If God calls you to embark on this journey, it would be our joy to partner with you!

For more information, please contact Beth Stanley at beth.stanley@lifelinechild.org.

You can view information on our website about our Poland program here.

You can also contact Jana Lombardo, Eastern Europe Program Coordinator, for more information.

Please see our latest blog entry regarding an immediate need in Poland. We are highlighting the needs of three precious sisters who are in immediate need of a family.

Our Executive Director, International Director, China Program Social Workers, and two teams of distinguished Doctors and Therapists from the UAB International Clinic have just returned from China with wonderful news!  Lifeline Children’s Services has been granted contracts with 8 orphan homes located in Chongqing, MaoMing, SuiXi and Zhuhai.  These orphan homes represent over 3000 beautiful children, all of whom we should have access to over the coming year.

Lifeline’s partnership with the CCCWA is unprecedented, and we will make every effort to advocate for each of these amazing children.  Lifeline, in conjunction with the social welfare institutes, are working on the first group of files, which should be ready for perusal by late June or early July.  Children available for adoption extend from minor development delays to much more severe special needs.

Lifeline is preparing to return to our China homes again in July.  We will direct camps, provide for additional training, and personally review the next group of children.  As with all our partnering homes, we will have current pictures and videos of each child.  Please assist us in advocating for these precious children as we believe each child has been created by God with purpose and deserves the opportunity of a loving, Christian home!

Blessings,

Dave Wood

International Director

Join us for a beautiful night and hear how God is changing the hearts and lives of women in very different places, but all for His glory through adoption, foster care and caring for the (un)adopted. Musical praise will accompany the testimonies shared by six women unfolding the story of how God is at work in “All These Things.”

When: Tuesday, May 8, 2012 from 7:00 pm- 8:30 pm
Where:
Mountain Brook Community Church
3001 Highway 280 East
Birmingham, AL 35243
Purpose: Igniting Women’s Hearts for the Fatherless
Tickets are $25
Join us for Testimonies of Hope & Music by Audrie Cirlot
Dessert and Coffee will be served

Jeremiah14:22
“We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.”

Contact Krisha here to RSVP or for more information. You can also call 205.972.8479.

Current needs include:

• Storage bins to store clothes and other items for children in care.
• A volunteer or group of volunteers to take ownership of and manage the foster care clothes closet. This will initially involve organization, maintenance, inventory, communicating with DHR/families, and arranging meetings to deliver what is needed.
• Men and women willing to go through the necessary clearances so that to provide “nights out” for our foster families – mostly date nights for our couples.
• People willing to be contacted when there is the need for a meal for one of our families who needs support.
• New socks, undergarments and diapers or pull-ups – all sizes.

North River Church
Adoption Conference
4215 Rice Mine Rd NE
Tuscaloosa, AL 35406
2:00-5:00 pm

Please join us and register online here.

As opening weekend approaches on March 25, make plans to see this film with your family and friends. October Baby will be more than an enjoyable film, it will likely be the beginning of many conversations that will have an impact for years to come.

Help us spread the word about this incredible film.

Click here to visit the film’s official web site.

Click here to get resources to share October Baby on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere else.

It is likely that you will see this film and find yourself asking, “What can I do to get involved in orphan ministry or adoption?” Here is a great resource that will help answer that question.

In 2011, children came home to forver families. Foster parents were licensed. Orphans abroad were fed and cared for. Above all, the Gospel was proclaimed and lives were eternally changed. To learn more about the impact you made, see first-hand how your gift is being used and learn more about ministry opportunities as you enjoy an incredible day of golf- register for our 2012 Celebrity Classic-May 22, 2012. We’ll see you on the greens!

It is our desire and goal to serve you with excellence. Please provide feedback via the links below regarding your experience with Lifeline. Not only does this help us internally, this survey will support our Hague Accreditation Process as well. We appreciate you taking the time to provide your feedback and for the opportunity to walk alongside you on such an important Journey.

If you adopted through our Domestic Program, please Click here to take survey.

If you have adopted through our International Program, please Click here to take survey.